Outdoor News: Salmon fishing hot at the Columbia Mouth

This memorable fishing adventure may be realized again during the season that is now open off the mouth of the Columbia River. This summer’s outlook for ocean salmon angling appears excellent again this year. The season from Cape Falcon (near Manzanita) north to Leadbetter Point, which encompasses the ocean where the Columbia River’s returning salmon stage, opened June 13 and will remain open until September 30, or until a quota of 79,400 fin-clipped coho (over 16 inches) and 15,000 chinook (any chinook over 24 inches, fin-clipped or not) are caught. The daily sport limit is two salmon of which only one can be a chinook.

Most anglers reach the ocean between Cape Falcon and Leadbetter Point by launching at one of the ports (Ilwaco, Hammond, Warrenton, Astoria or Chinook) inside the Columbia River mouth. If you do this remember that you must pass through the “Columbia River Control Zone” (closed to angling) to reach open water. The Control Zone extends from the north-south line at Buoy 10 out to Buoy 4 (Red), north to Buoy 7 (Green), to the North Jetty.

During the first hour of light is when the catching of ocean salmon is best, with most of the fish located in the top 15 to 20 feet of water. After this time period has passed, the coho may linger near the surface while chinook descend into the water column. If you want to target the larger chinook, you will have to get your bait down to them.

Once they leave the surface, king salmon will normally be found from 60 to 90 feet down. You can deep mooch or troll your herring rigged six feet behind a Fish Flash attractor and trolling sinker or diver, like a Delta or Deep Six. Of course downriggers are the ultimate device for controlling the exact depth of your bait.

If this year is like recent ones, the bulk of the coho will be located just south of the Columbia mouth’s red buoy line over water that is 90 to 180 feet deep. The red buoys mark the south side of the Columbia River channel and extend well out into the ocean. If you have GPS mapping or a chart (ocean map) this area will be found from Buoy 2 west.

All coho must have their adipose fin missing in order to qualify as a keeper. The adipose fin is the small fin located between the fish’s dorsal and tail-fin. Even inexperienced anglers should be able to identify fish missing this fin before attempting to net it. Don’t net a coho and then look to see if you can keep him. If you catch a wild coho, cut your leader near the hook or take the hook out without removing the fish from the water. More than anything else, this will increase the survival of fish which hold the seeds to recover our native runs.

Since the majority of chinook spend their lives foraging off British Columbia and in the Gulf of Alaska (many coho do also) they will stage north of the Columbia mouth before passing the bar. The chinook numbers will increase daily until they begin to leave saltwater and begin their migration up the Columbia in mid to late August.

As mentioned above, the daily limit in the ocean management zone extending from Cape Falcon to Leadbetter Point is two salmon per day (no more than one can be a chinook.) You can identify chinook by the large oval spots on their backs, along with their heftier builds and all black inside their lower mouth. Remember, the best bite will be the first hour of daylight, so if you want a “big-boy” you should leave the dock before the day begins for most people.